


A Simple Proposal

by FlorentineQuill



Category: Maleficent (Disney Movies)
Genre: Diaval's Tragic ™ Backstory, F/M, Local bodyguards not paid enough to deal with this nonsense, Marriage Proposal, Parental Advice, Runaway Queens, Sometimes a family is a powerful fae her birb husband and their adorable queen daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 00:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21152780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlorentineQuill/pseuds/FlorentineQuill
Summary: Aurora reacts in the most dignified and queenly fashion to Phillip asking her a certain question AKA she promptly runs off to get advice from her godparents.





	A Simple Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before the sequel came out. You can pry "Queen Aurora of the Moors (fae AND human)" from my cold dead fingers.

Steel-shod hooves drummed over the hard packed trails of the forest. The wild jangling of tack startled nearby birds into flight. Aurora’s heart thudded in her chest as she leaned over her horse’s neck. She shifted her weight as the mare leapt over a fallen branch with a murmur of encouragement. The river was a familiar, comforting sight to her right as she sat back in the saddle, pulling her mare back down to a walk. 

“Good girl, Freya,” Aurora said and one brown ear flicked backwards in acknowledgment. “I think we managed to escape my ever-loving bodyguards, for once,” she continued, patting the mare’s neck. Freya blew out a sigh, shaking her head. “Bergen is going have an apoplectic fit, when I get back, I know.” 

Still, she was out of the castle. Bergren and Amadeus knew the trails and woods she preferred to take when traveling to the Moors. After so many years, most grooms and the stable masters had grown wary of letting her on a horse with no bodyguard in sight. She would need to apologize to the over-awed girl who had been bringing the mare out for her daily exercise. After she got back, of course.

Sunlight broke through the trees ahead, and Aurora nudged Freya back into a slow trot. Her hands tightened on the reins when the horse balked, taking several steps back and throwing her head up with a nervous whicker. Magic was ever present into the back of Aurora's mind, ever since she was a little girl. None of the fae was certain if she would gain true magic as Queen of the Moors or just be able to sense it. Ahead of her, the forest was slow to reclaim the land that had been strangled by thick thorns for seventeen years. Remnants of her godmother’s curse-magic still prickled under her skin and in the earth. She dismounted and scratched at the sweaty spots under Freya’s halter, offering soft reassurances for several minutes. When she gathered the reins in one hand, and stepped forward, Freya followed.

They were halfway across the massive clearing when a large, familiar shadow swept past, followed by an equally familiar flash of black. Aurora shaded her eyes, and laughed as Diaval circled overhead. Maleficent flew ahead, out of sight, but the thunder of her coming to land was unmistakable. Freya threw her head back and whinnied, but Aurora didn’t move, keeping a tight grip on the reins. By the time Maleficent emerged from the trees, she had the mare calmed. Diaval dropped down to land on the wrist Maleficent offered him. He sidled up to sit on his mistress's shoulder as Aurora approached.

“Hello, Godmother,” Aurora said with a smile. “Hello, Diaval.”

Diaval bobbed his head in greeting, but seemed content to remain in his raven form for the moment. He had spent more than enough time in his man-skin at the castle for the past several weeks.

Maleficent scratched Diaval’s chest feathers. She looked over the clearing before focusing on a point behind Aurora’s shoulder-- Right where Bergren and Amadeus would normally stand. “Hello, Beastie,” she replied. Arched one eyebrow. “There’s a distinct lack of bodyguards around you. Will you be taking back some herbal possets, to help with Bergren’s migraines?” 

Diaval chuckled at that, and Aurora shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt. The healers said his supply was low.”

There was a flicker of amusement in green-gold eyes, but Maleficent didn’t smile. She turned back to the forest, back towards the Moors proper. The treaty had been signed, but the peoples of both lands were hesitant to cross over the borders without cause. 

Maleficent, through Diaval, had fought for the right for the Moors to remain unsettled by humans. It wasn’t safe. There were parts of the Moor rife with a darker magic. The creatures that preferred the dark lands were deadly, even to other fae. There was very little land suited to farming or pasturing herds. Some younger, braver, members of court were reaching out to the fae, to see what arrangements could be made but it would still take time. 

Aurora tugged at the reins, and followed her Godmother. They walked in easy silence, and Aurora was content to say nothing of the reason for her visit. She listened to the soft chatter of birds and the fading roar of the river as it swept towards the river meadows. The rasp of Maleficent’s wings as they slid against the ground was a comfort all on its own. 

Diaval eyed dragging feathers with narrowed eyes, and clicked his beak several times. Flickers of gold swept over his feet, and the raven leapt into the air with a squawk. He snapped his beak, but Maleficent didn’t so much as twitch as he resettled himself on her shoulder. Aurora laughed, and stepped closer. “I’m sure you can preen her wings later, Diaval,” she mock-whispered.

“It would be harder to stop him,” Maleficent said, glancing over her shoulder. “He’s more obsessed with them than I am.” 

“They are beautiful, Godmother,” Aurora said. “Dusty primaries, and all.”

They stopped near the ancient stone guardians long enough for Aurora to unsaddle Freya. Aurora made sure toleave enough slack in the reins to allow grazing. The mare dropped her head and started tearing at the thick grass of the clearing. “I’ll be back in a bit,” Aurora told the horse with a final pat on the neck. “Don’t tell Bergren or Amadeus where I’ve gone, now.”

Both Maleficent and Diaval snorted at that. Sooner or later, she would be discovered and escorted back to the castle— Where Phillip was waiting for her. She closed her eyes, and tried not to think about that. It had been a small chain of miracles that had let her escape. Phillip, asking to speak to her in the garden, out of earshot from Amadeus and Bergren. The gardens being so close to the stables, her being able to convince the girl to let her take Freya— Aurora shivered. 

“Aurora?” Maleficent’s tone was light. “What inspired this unplanned visit to the Moors?” 

Aurora shivered again. “I— I needed to get away from the castle is all,” she said. “I wanted to speak with you and Diaval before I did anything.”

Gold sparked off Maleficent’s fingertips. Her wings were mantled, half-open in a protective sweep, before she could stop them. Sparks faded, but Aurora felt magic curling through the air. “What happened?” Her godmother's eyes were far more green than they had been a moment ago.

“Nothing terrible!” Aurora reassured her. “I just…I couldn’t think. I needed to get away.” She knotted her fingers in the thick fabric of her skirt, worrying at the thick panels of embroidery.

Diaval tipped off Maleficent’s shoulder, sliding into his man-skin. His clothes weren’t as fine as what he wore at court but that was no surprise. He had no need to impress anyone except Maleficent in the Moors. He fingered the pendant Maleficent had given him all those years ago. “Is it something to do with the treaty?” he asked, watching her. “Or has something happened at court?”

“Court, in a way.” Aurora took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “Phillip-- He. He proposed. To me,” she whispered. "He wants to marry me."

Seasoned diplomat he might be, Diaval rocked back on his heels. “Did he now,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn’t scowling, but it was a near thing. Aurora had felt him flying over some of her walks or rides with the younger members of the court more than once. Come to think of it, Phillip had often been riding by her side when she sensed him. He flew too high to be seen, but apart from Amadeus, he was the only creature of the Moors in the castle. She tucked the thought away for later. 

Maleficent’s reaction was far more restrained, limited to the raising of one eyebrow. “Well, well,” she murmured. “He finally got up the courage.” 

Diaval’s head snapped around. “You knew?” he asked, not-quite pouting.

“The boy is not so great a fool as you would think,” Maleficent replied dryly. “He sought a private audience with me several weeks ago, to ask for my blessing.” Her lips curled up into a self-satisfied smile. “He was very determined, despite his terror.”

“Godmother! You didn’t frighten him, did you?” Aurora asked, horrified. Phillip had been respectful in the few interactions he had had with her Godmother but Maleficent did not visit the castle often. When she did, it was for a purpose, and icy formality discouraged casual interactions.

“Frighten?” Maleficent asked. Her eyes were wide, but a sly smile made one corner of her mouth tick upwards. “Never. But I can hardly be held responsible if others find my demeanor…intimidating. He did well, just by asking. I told him that it was not my blessing he had to secure, but yours.”

Aurora let out a breath. “I hardly knew what to do, when he knelt in front of me. I— I told him I needed time to think about it.” 

Diaval nodded. “A good answer,” he said. “This is not a decision to made rashly.” He tilted his head to one side. “Why did you think that your godmother and I could help you?”

Aurora stared at the ground. She could feel the tips of her ears going pink, and she wrung her hands. “I like Phillip,” she said, still not looking up. “He’s very sweet, and kind to me. He tries to understand the Moors. But I’m not sure that I love him.” 

There was a sharp inhalation. When she looked up, Diaval’s eyes were wide. Maleficent hadn’t moved but her feathers were slicked down and her wings were now held high and close to her back, the primaries hardly touching the ground. She placed a hand on Diaval’s shoulder. “You are far better suited to answer this question, I think,” she said. “I will leave you both alone.”

Diaval rested his hand on top of hers and squeezed it tight for a moment. He said nothing. 

“Would your advice be so terrible?” Aurora asked. 

Maleficent chuckled but it was not a happy sound. “I have been alone for many more years than I have been in love.” She pulled away from Diaval, and stood in front of her goddaughter. Her wings flexed on her back as she tugged Aurora’s hands free of her skirt. Familiar magic smoothed over wrinkled cloth, tucking in loose threads. 

“Love cost me my wings, and far too much of my heart,” she said, meeting Aurora's gaze. “I got them back, yes. And I am able to love you, and Diaval, yes. But the damage done was great.” She paused, searching for the words. “The scars...remain,” she said.

“Godmother…” Aurora whispered. “I didn’t mean— I’m sorry—”

“It is well enough that you trust me enough to ask,” Maleficent said. She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Aurora’s forehead. “I will be by the great-tree when you are done.”

“If Amadeus and Bergen haven’t come to take me back to the castle,” Aurora muttered. 

Maleficent laughed at that, shaking back her hair. “I’m sure the Moors can guard you well enough for the night,” she said. She shared another look with Diaval, before heading back into the forest. 

Diaval watched her leave, tense and unhappy. Aurora waited, not daring to move. There were very few who doubted that the Protector of the Moors and her raven loved each other but they were still a private pair. Aurora had not known many couples in her life, and tried to learn what she could from the few she did know of. Lord Jon and his lady. Bergren and his wife, one of the palace healers. The court was very informative in what not to do as well. Affairs (quiet and not-so-quiet) and the occasional public shouting match taught her quicker than most. “Diaval?” she said. “I can wait if you think Godmother needs you…”

Diaval turned away from the forest, and shook his head. “I doubt my presence would help right now,” he said, with a sad smile. He smoothed his hair back before offering Aurora his arm. “Shall we walk, little one? Bergen and Amadeus will find you soon or later, but that does not mean we can’t make them work for it a little.” This smile was more genuine, edged with mischief.

Aurora giggled and slipped her arm in his. They walked along the tree line before stepping onto a path that led away from the river meadows and led to one of the solitary lakes. Moor light flickered in the shadows, barely visible in the day time. Aurora breathed deep, and closed her eyes, trusting Diaval to steer her away from any obstacles. She felt the ebb and flow of the surrounding magic, running under the earth and through the water. If she stood still and concentrated, she could pick out the individual magic of nearby fae. Maleficent had already moved beyond her limited range, but Diaval was obvious as he walked beside her. 

He had soaked in Maleficent’s magic for over twenty years, bound by his fealty. He wore her magic like a cloak, anchored in his bones by the pendent he wore. In his raven form, he was larger than any other ravens she had seen in the wild and they were not small birds to begin with. He showed very little sign of aging in either form, hair and feathers still a glossy black. While he had no true magic of his own, he had admitted a growing sensitivity to iron. As it stood, he was better as sensing Maleficent's magic than Aurora.

“How do the Moors feel today?” 

Aurora opened her eyes. “The same as ever,” she replied. “It’s soothing. Especially right now.” She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked.

“I can imagine,” Diaval said. 

“I was so scared when he knelt in front of me.” Aurora could still see Phillip in her mind’s eye, kneeling in the garden before her. “I— He’s a good man.” He’d been a steady presence in her court for the past several years, always willing to help with her lessons. Some of the council had grumbled at accepting so much help from a neighboring kingdom, even an ally. Aurora had ignored them. Stefan’s vigil had weakened the kingdom, isolating it from the rest of the world in his madness. They were paying that price now, even with the treaty with the Moors. “ I know you don’t like him, but I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Which brings us back to what brought you out here.” Diaval sighed. “Love is very different for ravens. I’m not sure I’ll be as much help as you thought.”

Aurora tilted her head. Five years of council meetings, audiences with nobles, and far too many formal dances, had honed her ears. Politics was words, subtle references, and implications. What was said, what wasn’t said, what could be inferred. Diaval knew this as much as she did. Better even, as ambassador for the Moors. “Diaval?” she asked, voice soft.

He glanced at her. “I had a mate, once,” he said. “Before I left the North.” 

Her feet kept her moving along the trail out of long habit while her mind reeled. “I would have never guessed,” Aurora said after a minute. 

Diaval shrugged. “It never came up. At first, I didn’t want to talk about it. Then it was…unimportant.”

“When did you tell Godmother?” she asked. 

They had reached the lake, and turned to walk along its shore. Diaval kicked a stone out of their path, watching it splash into the water. “She knew I had a mate, once. But I did not tell her about Dunya until five years ago.”

“Dunya.” Aurora repeated the name. She heard Diaval take a deep breath beside her. “Was that her name?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, his voice raven-hoarse. “You would have liked her. Louder than me, if you could believe such a thing exists. The things she could do on the wing— You’d swear she was spelling the wind to support her. Most of our hatchlings were the same.”

“You had children?” she asked, stunned. This time, she did stop walking.

Diaval’s grin was warm and crooked as he turned to face her. “Why is everyone so surprised, when they learn?” he asked. “Twelve hatchlings, all told. The amount of descendants I must have running around by now is embarrassing.”

Aurora smiled. “A horde of baby Diavals. The mind boggles.” She sobered. “But, how did you know that Dunya was the one?” she pressed, starting to walk again. She always thought better when she was walking.

“I admired her, certainly.” He was quiet for several minutes. “Half the unkindness thought she would get herself killed before she would find a mate, flying the way she did. But we were ravens. Come the mating season, things were…simple. I still felt like I had run into a tree after our mating flights, mind you. We had to work hard, figuring out how to care for our hatchlings, every year we were together. But we were mates— and that was that. I would have stayed in the North forever, if she hadn’t been killed.”

“I see.” It was Aurora’s turn to fall silent. They had almost rounded the lake, when she spoke again. “And Godmother?”

Diaval huffed. “Determined, aren’t you? It took me several years to get past her sharp edges, and even then, I was only a raven.” He chewed his lip. “The shift from raven to man was jarring. Ravens are much simpler, you know.” He waved one hand. “Eat, fly, mate, raise hatchlings. Repeat.”

“Something must have changed, surely.”

He shrugged. “It was only a matter of time before I learned about her wings. She never told me, of course. Court gossip, Moors gossip…” He swallowed. “I saw her wings, once. Caged in iron, displayed like some— some common trophy. Lost my lunch once I realized what I was looking at. Balthazar had just brought back a report, I spent the night in his branches, shaking. I lose my wings every time I shift but Maleficent was careful about making sure I was in my feathers most of the time. Once I realized what had happened— Oh, my heart ached for her. Cursing you was terrible, but a terrible thing had been done to her first. Any lesser creature would have died of despair. She has more strength than that, your godmother.”

Aurora own heart hurt, thinking of what her father had done. Even after poring over the histories of both kingdoms, she failed to understand what had driven Stefan and Henry to such lengths. Most of the Moors was uninhabitable and there were no halls of treasures within easy reach. What treasures did exist were well away from the borders and guarded by fae who did not suffer trespassers. Ever. She sat on the urge to ask more questions and waited for Diaval to finish his story.

“To answer your question, things started shifting beyond mere fealty when you were small.” He cracked an unexpected grin. “She has her moments, your Godmother.” He clicked his tongue. “The pranks she would play on your Aunties, I swear. But she was always gentle with you. Do you remember— You weren’t even a little one, you were less than that, a wee one— One time you found us, when she was healing the forest. Wandered up, bold as brass, and demanded that she pick you up.”

Aurora laughed. “Did I?” she asked, hand to her mouth. “What did she do?”

“Denied that she liked children,” Diaval replied, still smiling. “Even as she picked you up. I almost fell off my branch when you grabbed at her horns. You patted at her collar for a bit; it was particularly spiky that day. She let you down and shooed you back to your aunties. Who, might I add, hadn’t noticed you were missing in the first place.”

“What did she do after that?”

“Told me to stop laughing. Said it didn’t suit me.”

“Were you?”

“Not…aloud, perhaps,” he said with a smile. 

“Diaval!”

“She looked stunned! I had never seen anyone act like that around her before. But this isn’t about me being in love,” he said, sobering. “This about you, possibly, being in love.”

Aurora’s smile faded and she swallowed. “It’s so…big,” she said. “And complicated. And I’m a queen, twice over, and he’s a prince and all the rest of it.” She waved her hand. “What if we’re wrong?”

“You get a divorce, he returns home, and your kingdoms ride to war— I’m joking, little one, only joking!” He reassured her at the look of terror on her face. “Except for the divorce bit.”

Aurora took a deep breath. “I suppose,” she said. “But what do I tell him?”

“Tell him you need more time, if you like. But, Aurora, really— Has he ever, willingly, let you come to harm?” Diaval asked. “Normally, I would enquire about his ability to provide food and shelter but…” He waved his hand, indicating the Moors. “A moot point, I should think. Will he keep your secrets, will he help you rule both your land and the Moors, will he make you happy?”

“I think he could,” Aurora said quietly. 

“Then I think you have your answer, don’t you?” he said. “If nothing else, he’ll have to pass the same trials you did, to be crowned in the Moors.” He blew out a gusty sigh. “If he manages to survive that, I…suppose he’ll be worthy of you. Maybe.”

Aurora elbowed him, smiling. “Father…” 

Diaval’s chest puffed out, but he didn’t reply. They walked in silence, almost completing a full circuit of the lake, when Aurora sighed again. A hamadryad rarely made any noise in a forest, but she could feel one approaching. Amadeus’s particular magic was unmistakable after several years in his company. It stretched deep into the ground and whispered through the surrounding forest. “Damn,” she muttered, and shaded her eyes with one hand. While Amadeus was silent, Bergren was not. Twigs cracked and armor jangled as the pair emerged from the surrounding trees.

“They had to catch up to you at some point,” Diaval said, and gave her a sly grin. “Want to make them work for it? I’ve been meaning to try a kelpie-skin…” 

Unfortunately, Bergren was close enough to guess at Diaval’s suggestion. “Don’t you even think about it, you damn overgrown bird,” he shouted. “She’s had two whole hours.”

Aurora winced. “Bergren, Amadeus,” she greeted. “How wonderful of you to join me.”

“Your Majesty,” Bergren replied. “You can’t keep doing this to me.” He was red-faced and out of breath from the ride he must have enjoyed, riding pillion on Amadeus’s war-hog. “I can’t keep lying to your Council; they have laws against it.”

“I didn’t exactly plan it,” Aurora replied. “I just…couldn’t stay in the castle. If I had waited, it would have taken days to get out to the Moors and everyone would have been talking.” She tightened her grip on Diaval’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

“You could have asked us,” Amadeus said. His voice was so deep Aurora felt the ground shiver underfoot. He flicked the fingers of one hand. “I could have brought you, while Bergren arranged things at the castle. You would be in the Moors, receiving the counsel you required, but with a guard.”

“I’m well-guarded here,” Aurora replied. Next to her, Diaval stood a little straighter and fingered his pendent. It was a familiar complaint to everyone present, how little opportunity he had to slip into his dragon-skin.

“It’s not the Moors we’re worried about, it’s the parts between the castle and the Moors,” Bergren bit out. He blew out a sigh, shaking his head. “What’s done is done. The prince was very understanding. He said to tell you that he awaits your answer, at your convenience.” 

Aurora closed her eyes. “Of course he does,” she murmured. “I am dreadfully sorry. I know, it’s not fair to either of you.”

Bergen leaned against Amadeus’s leg. “It was understandable,” he said. Scrubbed at his beard with one hand. “Now, do we return to the castle, or do you need more time?”

“I’d rather stay overnight,” Aurora said. “We’d be on the road after sunset, even if we left now.”

Bergren grunted, and Amadeus chuckled. The older knight rapped his knuckles against hard wood. “Good thing you made us pack those supplies, you overgrown oak,” he said. “Fine. We’ll set up camp and return first thing in the morning. Enjoy the fresh air while you can do so, Your Majesty, Ambassador. It’s back to the Council tomorrow.”

Aurora and Diaval both inclined their heads at the exact same moment. The angle, the way they tilted their chin just to one side, it was identical. They turned and made for the trail that would lead them to the great-tree atop the nearby cliffs where Maleficent was waiting.


End file.
